Francis Marion University (formerly Francis Marion College) is a state-supported liberal arts university located seven miles (11 km) east of Florence, South Carolina, USA. It is named in honor of American Revolutionary War hero Brigadier General Francis Marion. The university dates back to 1957, when the University of South Carolina set up a freshman center at the Florence County Library. A few years later, in 1961, USC-Florence was set up on land donated by the Wallace family seven miles east of Florence, South Carolina. In 1966, many in the Florence area pushed to establish a four-year university. Governor Robert E. McNair signed into law an act creating Francis Marion College, effective July 1, 1970. The newly created Francis Marion College initially enrolled 907 students from 23 of South Carolina's 46 counties in 10 departments. In 1992, Francis Marion College achieved university status and subsequently changed its name to Francis Marion University. Today, Francis Marion enrolls over 4,000 students from 33 states and 17 different countries. Francis Marion is one of South Carolina's 13 state-supported universities.